


Da'len

by Khaleesi0603



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: A lot of sibling bonding, Close Families, Dorian friendship, Dorian/inquisitor - Freeform, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fear of spiders!, M/M, Sibling Pranks, Solas friendship, Solas/inquisitor's sister, i don't know what to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19716430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khaleesi0603/pseuds/Khaleesi0603
Summary: After going to the mages for help, Taniel Lavellan is thrown into the future with their new strange ally who may or may not be extremely attractive. Yet while they find a way the get back to their own time, Taniel finds someone he never expected to see again.The story starts with In Hushed Whispers and then follows most of the main game but with the new addition of a second lavellan. There is a lot of fluff and bonding between the siblings and the companions in between all the seriousness of the actual game and Avery is just an absolute little shit who loves to tease her brother once she realises his not so secret crush on a certain magister.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is the first book I've published (though the first version of this was originally on wattpad) so please bear with me. I have a huge soft spot for sibling banter and teasing and because I couldn't decide whether to make my first fanfic a Dorian romance or a solas romance, I decided to do both. The first chapter is a lot more gloomy than I intended, but I have a lot more ideas to make it cute and funny once they get to skyhold. Any advice or criticisms are always welcome ;)

If someone had asked Taniel Lavellan what he thought about the colour red a few days ago, he might have said that he found it beautiful and vibrant, or that it brought to mind the aravels his clan used for travel.

Now there was only burning and death. 

No matter how hard he tried, the images of red lyrium spikes sticking from the walls and corpses were burned to the back of his eyelids. He did his best to avoid turning his head to Iron Bull who walked beside him for fear that he might lose what little he had eaten. Yet Bull was stoic beside him, no hint of pain other than the gleaming red of his eyes and the shards of red lyrium that broke through his armour as he guided them through the empty hallways to where Solas was most likely being kept.

The Herald shook his head and returned his focus to their new associate who sauntered a few steps ahead of them, his staff held at the ready in case some of Alexius's soldiers decided to show up. It had been less than a day since they met and they had barely had the time to sit for more than two minutes, so Taniel wasn't sure what to make of him yet. He radiated confidence and moved with a flowing, carless grace that made it hard for Taniel to predict his next moves. Creators know that he'd had enough trouble already with people who he couldn't read, he didn't need to be worrying about whether they could trust the Tevinter.

Even so, Taniel could admit to himself that the mage was alluring. That flowing grace also came with a quick wit and an even quicker mouth and Taniel found himself smiling and returning the banter with much more ease than he was used to. It also didn't help that the man was unfairly attractive.

Iron Bull snapped the Herald out of his thoughts as he came to a stop in front of a small, unassuming door. "Solas should be just through here in the room on the right, boss." Taniel nodded and made to enter but turned back when he saw Bull hesitate. "If it's all right boss, I'd prefer to wait outside. You never know when a few unlucky guards might decide to come check on the prisoners."

Taniel suspected that it might be more of a case of not wanting to see more of Alexius's prisoners and being unable to help, but he nodded nevertheless and moved passed him. Dorian let his palm fill with a small ball of flame to light the room and Taniel unslung his bow. He took a few deep breaths as he fought down the panic that rose in his throat as he waited a few precious seconds for his eyes to adjust. He bounced a bit on his heels as his eyes worked quickly over the room, not lingering any longer than necessary on the red lyrium that stuck out from the walls. There were two doors opposite each other, one leading left, the other right. Dorian followed Bull's instructions and pushed open the door on the right.

The room was just as dark and wet as the others had been with a row of cells lining the side. Solas was leaning against a wall in the second cell from the door and Taniel slung his bow back over his shoulder before working on getting the lock open. It took longer than it would have usually taken for Solas to recognise them and the mage bolted upright away from the wall when his eyes finally focussed on them. "You're alive? We saw you die."

Dorian stepped closer to the cell, hovering over Taniel who continued to struggle with the rusted lock. "The spell Alexius cast displaced us in time. We just got here, so to speak." Solas looked sceptically at Dorian - after all, he had only known him for a few hours before he saw both the Tevinter and the Herald die. Luckily, he didn't pry and instead launched himself into an explanation of all that happened after they 'died'.

Taniel only heard half of what he said about reversing the spell as the lock finally broke loose and clattered with an ear-splitting clank to the stone floor.

Taniel stepped back as the cell door creaked open, nearly bumping into Dorian who had been standing a lot closer than he had expected. Taniel took a moment to inspect Solas as he stepped out of the cell - his eyes had the same glow as Bull's had, but otherwise, there was no trace of lyrium on him.

Thank the creators, Taniel thought as he let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"You look..." Taniel floundered for words with all the thoughts swirling inside his head. "Bad," he finally finished. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I am dying, but no matter," Solas said, his eyes already flitting around in concentration. Taniel grimaced. Solas had always been one of the most practical people he'd ever known, and with his travels in the fade it made sense that he would be unfazed by this. Yet knowing that didn't stop the feeling of something twisting in Taniel's chest.

"If you can undo this," the mage continued, "they can all be saved. But you know nothing of this world. It is far worse than you understand. Alexius serves a master. The Elder One. He reigns now, unchallenged. His minions assassinated Empress Celene and used the chaos to invade the South. After you stop Alexius, you must be prepared."

They had heard talk about the Elder One throughout Redcliffe, but only in letters and the snippets of idle guard conversations. The thing Solas was describing... 

The way Solas spoke didn't feel right to Taniel and it took him a few seconds to realise why. He was saying goodbye. "We can't do this without you." He pleaded with Solas, hoping, albeit foolishly, that this wouldn't be the end for his friend. But the mage only stared at him with great sadness in his hollow, glowing eyes.

"If there is any hope, any way to save them, my life is yours. This world is an abomination, it must never come to pass." Taniel had the fleeting thought that his voice sounded different somehow, hopeless, but he nodded anyway and lead them back to the main hall.

A few steps from the door, Solas stopped. Taniel could see the conflict in his eyes as he stared at the door across from the one they just left. "What's wrong?"

"There is ... a person I met while imprisoned," Solas started hesitantly as he turned to face Taniel, though it didn't take long before his eyes flitted back to the door. "A young girl. At first, she was kept in the cell next to mine, and although we rarely had the energy to speak, we became friends of a sort. They took her away to a new cell, but it is impossible to tell whether that was days or weeks ago. It is a stupid thought as all of this will mean nothing once you return to the present, but I would save her if I could." 

"What makes you so sure they kept her in there?" Dorian asked, nodding towards the door. He was gripping the handle of his staff tight enough for his knuckles to turn white and Taniel couldn't blame him. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to see the place you lived in such ruin. The sooner they got back, the better.

"I could hear her screams," Solas said next to him and an involuntary shiver crept down his spine. "Every night. I am most certain that she is in there."

Taniel hesitated for a second. It was stupid and he knew it. They were wasting precious time and every second increased the possibility that Alexius would find them. Yet the pained look on Solas' face had him heading towards the room before he could reconsider. 

The room was cast in shadows, the only light to see by was the trickle of moonlight that filtered in through a grate in the ceiling. Unfortunately, along with the light came a steady stream of water which formed a pool in the centre of the room, deep enough to take a bath in. if they had the time to waste, Taniel would have considered it. He was eager to get the blood and grime from his skin. Instead he skirted around it and looked around the room.

"D-Dorian?" A voice rasped from one on the cells. Taniel stepped closer to see the small figure huddled in the corner, its head turned to face them, yet the shadows made it impossible to make out much more. Beside him, Dorian had gone terribly still and Solas was standing quietly a few feet away, a look of surprise etched on his face.

Taniel realised that he should probably start on removing the lock, but before he could move forward, Dorian broke the door from its hinges with a small explosion in his hand. He stepped forward quickly and quietly before dropping down to the figure. A small, bony hand clutched at his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around the figure as if he could stop the pain through that alone. 

His shoulders were shaking and Taniel didn't know what to do, only that he wanted to make it stop. Abruptly, Dorian pulled back and started pulling off his coat, not hesitating when the buttons tore loose and clattered to the ground. He wrapped it around the figure gently before lifting the person as softly as he could into his arms. The figure let out a soft grunt but leaned into Dorian's chest nonetheless. 

He passed Taniel with wide eyes rimmed in silver and walked into the hallway outside where there were candles lighting the room. He stooped down and placed the figure down gently on a chair against the wall. He put a hand on the figure's cheek, barely turning to look as Taniel and Solas followed stupidly behind before turning back to it. 

Taniel stopped abruptly when he saw the figure's face under the torch light.

"I met her when I caught her spying on Alexius. A Dalish spy or something." Dorian stated sadly, looking at the girl who appeared to have fallen asleep. "I agreed to keep it a secret as long as she kept me and Felix informed on what she found. We even helped her get into positions where she could find better information." Dorian stopped briefly, brushing some of her hair from her face with a small smile. The smile dropped away almost immediately. "She went missing a few weeks ago."

Taniel was silent and when Dorian turned to him in confusion he saw that there were tears carving a path through the dirt that had settled on his face.

Her face was sunken in, broken. Part of her vallaslin appeared to have been – Maker's breath - cut off. Her white-blond hair was tangled and torn, covered in dirt and a darker, stickier substance. He could see long, jagged scars through the holes in her clothes and the bloody skin peeling from her wrists from where she had been shackled.

Taniel let out something between a scream and a sob as she twisted in her sleep and his eyes landed on the red lyrium shards sticking from her shoulder blades like broken wings.

"Herald?" Taniel managed to tear his gaze away only long enough to see both Dorian and Solas, as well as Bull who had presumably come in when he heard their voices, staring at him with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"She..." Taniel felt the earth shift beneath him and grabbed onto the wall to steady himself. He shook his head, willing the image in front of his eyes away, willing it to be just another bad dream. "Avery..."

"Wait, you know her?" Dorian asked and thankfully Solas stepped closer to wrap an arm around Taniel's waist to keep him upright as his legs finally gave out.

"I... yes. Avery..." Taniel swallowed, his throat burning, and his eyes glued onto the pale figure leaning against Dorian. "She's my sister."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positive feedback, it really means a lot to me, so I decided that studying is for the weak and finished chapter 2, I hope you enjoy~

Taniel didn't know how much time had passed anymore. He knew that somewhere along the way they had found Leliana in a torture chamber and had brought her up to speed on the way. But in the darkness of the castle, time was a distant thought. What mattered was staying alive and getting back. Yet no matter how much he told himself that he should just focus on that, Taniel couldn't keep his mind from running in circles.

She was alive - harmed, broken, bleeding - but she was breathing, and she was here. She was right next to him and he would be damned if he let her slip between his fingers a second time.

Bull had volunteered to carry Avery seeing as he was the only one who would be able to fight while carrying her in one arm. Even so, Taniel was glued to her side whenever they had the chance to take a small break, even if it was right after a battle and Solas and Dorian had to take turns forcing him to drink a health or lyrium potion.

But to Taniel it felt like if he stopped touching her for even just a second, she would disappear. Dorian and Solas it seemed, had made a secret agreement to leave Taniel to tend to his sister on his own. They would have their chance later.

But first they would have to fight.

So, by the time the last guard dropped in the courtyard before Alexius's throne room, Taniel was practically bouncing on his feet. Even as tired as he was from the fight, Dorian had to force back the smile as he drank a lyrium potion.

"What do we do about Avery?" Bull asked from where he was checking that all the guards were down, Avery still asleep cradled in his left arm. "We can't exactly carry her into a battle against the evil magister. No offence Dorian."

Dorian waved a hand. "None taken. You do have a point, but we can't exactly just leave her here, can we? The courtyard is way too open for that, anyone could come out and see her lying there."

"We could hide her." Solas suggested, his eyes darting around on the floor as he tried to form a plan.

"I hope you don't plan to shove her in a box," Dorian joked as he looked around for a spot to hide her.

"Luckily, no. But we could put her in a place where nobody would walk over her and put a glamour on her so she would be invisible to the naked eye. The only way someone will see her is if they know she is there or if they accidentally touch her."

Taniel didn't like the idea of leaving her somewhere this open and unprotected but it was safer than putting her in the middle of a fight against Alexius. While they looked around for a safe spot, Dorian went to investigate the door to Alexius's chamber and a few seconds later they heard him give a frustrated sigh. "Alexius, you tricky bastard, you couldn't make it easy just this once?"

"What's wrong?" Solas asked, standing up from where he was kneeling next to one of the fallen mages.

"The door he set up. It requires a bit more to open it than just a simple push."

"Could it have something to do with this?" Solas asked as he bent back down to the corpse he was studying a while ago. He pushed some of the folds of the man's robe aside and picked up a small red shard. "I noticed it while Bull was checking the bodies earlier."

"That's it!" Dorian exclaimed as he glided closer to investigate the glowing stone. "Knowing Alexius, it's likely he spread the other shards between some of the other guards to lower the chance of us finding them, or at the very least to buy him some time." The paused for a second before nodding to himself and turning to face Taniel. "Will you and Bull be able to handle finding a safe place for Avery? The rest of us will go find the other shards."

Taniel was stunned for a second before he could answer. "Are you sure? It could be very dangerous."

"That's what makes it fun," Dorian said with a small chuckle. "Besides, I saw the others fight earlier, if Alexius's men knew what was coming, I'm pretty sure they would just drop the stones and go hide in a closet."

Taniel felt himself smiling back, a strange excitement passing through him. "I can see why you and Avery became friends."

Dorian's eyebrows rose for a split second before a grin broke out on his face. He gave a small, joking bow, nodded to Solas and Lilliana, and set of in a run, the others at his heels. 

Taniel let his eyes track them for a few seconds before returning his attention to Avery who was dozing with her head against Bull's chest. He pushed the hair that had fallen over her face behind her ears and watched as a slight shiver ran through her body. The coat Dorian had wrapped around her had long since fell from her shoulders and now just hung uselessly between her body and Bull's arms. Taniel shifted the coat a bit so he could properly tie it around her body. 

When she was covered again, he reluctantly stepped back and started looking around for somewhere to put her. Bull walked next to him, looking down at Avery as he walked to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. It was only after they had settled on a small nook behind a staircase that Bull spoke again. "When was the last time you saw her? From your own time, that is."

"Before the Conclave. She was furious at me the day I left, said I was reckless and that I was going to put myself into danger just to get the approval of our Keeper. Guess she wasn't much different in the end."

"She was worried, and I guess what happened at the Conclave proved her fears correct. She thought she lost her brother."

A fresh wave of guilt hit Taniel like a wet towel. He was silent for a moment before turning to Bull. "Did you have any siblings in the Qun?" 

"The Chargers are my family. Whether or not I have any blood-related family, I would not know. In the Qun, we do not form family bonds like other races. The father's duty ends after conception and the mother's at birth. All children are sent to be raised by the Tamassrans and are given their role in society when they turn twelve." 

"That's... kind of sad. I don't mean it in a bad way, I just can't imagine a world where I don't even know if Avery exists." Taniel looked at where Avery was leaning against the wall, her coat pulled tight around her.

"I understand why you would feel that way, but from my side, I guess it's hard to grieve for something you never knew. But either way, as I said, I have the Chargers and that's all I need."

It felt way too soon when Dorian and the others returned, red shards in their hands. He bent down one last time to make sure that the cloak was secured properly before Solas stepped forward and started placing the glamour over her.

He looked up to find Bull and Dorian grinning at him like children caught swearing for the first time.

"What? The room is cold." Taniel defended himself, trying to ignore the heat that rose to the tips of his ears.

"Of course," Dorian said placatingly, yet their smiles didn't fade, even as they headed to the big door that led to the throne room.

It was just a matter of seconds as Dorian figured out how to put the shards in before the gigantic door swung open.

They had expected demons or at least guards. But the throne room was empty safe for Alexius standing in front of the fireplace and another huddled figure sitting close by.

"It's over Alexius," Taniel told him as they walked closer, hesitantly lowering the bow he had held ready.

He had expected more of a fight from him, but when he spoke it was clear that he had given up long ago. "So it is. I knew you would appear again. Not that it would be now. But I knew I hadn't destroyed you. My final failure."

He kept staring at the fire, his back to them. Taniel would have left less nervous of Alexius had actually fought back. Instead he was just... lifeless. 

"Was it worth it?" Dorian spoke next to Taniel and when the Herald turned, he could see that his eyes were full of pain, grieving for the man he had admired for so long. "Everything you did to the world? To yourself?"

"It doesn't matter now. All we can do is wait for the end."

Everyone was suddenly alert, their eyes darting around the room to look for signs of danger. End? "What do you mean?" Taniel asked him. "What's ending?"

But Alexius just chuckled, his now frail body shaking a bit. "The irony that you should appear now of all the possibilities. All that I fought for, all that I had betrayed, and what have I wrought? Ruin and death. There is nothing else. The Elder One comes for me, for you, for us all."

The words of a man who knew he had already lost.

But the tranquil look on his face vanished the moment Leliana grabbed the man who was sitting next to him from behind and held a knife to his throat.

"Felix!" Alexius's hand reached out to his son, but he didn't dare get closer.

"That's Felix?" Dorian yelled stepping forward. "Maker's breath, Alexius, what have you done?" Felix's skin was grey and hollow, little more than bones wrapped in skin. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive, even if only barely.

"He would have died, Dorian!" He yelled back, glaring at Dorian like he couldn't possibly understand. "I saved him." He turned back to Leliana, pleading. "Please don't hurt my son. I'll do anything you ask."

Taniel saw the opportunity, but he wasn't about to abuse the desperate offer of a man who feared for his only son's life. So instead he turned to Leliana. "Let Felix go, he's innocent."

But she stared back at him with cold, unflinching eyes that had seen more pain than anyone could endure in a lifetime. "Nobody's innocent." And in one quick movement she dragged the blade across his throat and let him fall to the ground at his father's feet.

"No..." Alexius whispered. Then sorrow turned to anger when he looked up at Leliana. "No!"

A ball of green flew from his hand into the ground in front of Taniel. Rift magic. More of the green circles that slowed down or sped up movements appeared on the ground around them.

But even as they prepared themselves to fight, Taniel's eyes were stuck to Felix's limp body. He had helped them, and they had repaid that with death.

Dorian, ready to fight, leaned closer to the Herald and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, getting the elf's eyes to focus on him instead. "We can save him when we get back," he promised, his eyes full of the same pain that Taniel felt. "But first we have to fight."

He was right. Damnit, he was right. Taniel shook his head and turned his focus to the magister who was busy opening a rift in the middle of the room.

Before they could stop him, green exploded across the room and demons slinked onto the floor.

He felt the barrier Dorian cast fall into place around him and ran to get a better vantage point to attack from. Bull, on the other hand, charged straight ahead and swung his axe into the stomach of the biggest thing he could find, which just happened to be a greater terror. The arm that came down to slash at Bull was frozen solid mid-swing by Solas who was standing next to Dorian. Arrows flew and found their mark in the shadowy heads of wraiths that tried to make their way to the mages, ending the battle rather quickly.

The moment the rift was closed, everyone spun to find Alexius in front of Felix's body. He immediately put a barrier up around himself, but a few blasts from Solas and Dorian and it too was gone.

A blast of ice from Solas sent Alexius reeling and Bull took the chance to swing at him, burying the axe deep in his side. The magister fell to the ground when Bull pulled his axe out, twisting in pain.

In a desperate attempt, Alexius shot shards of ice at them, but Solas pulled up a shield to deflect it. Unfortunately, Taniel, who was still in his vantage point, wasn't shielded along with them and took a rebounded shard straight into his left shoulder. 

He hissed in pain but kept his eyes on Alexius. The magister was twisting in pain a few feet away from his son, blood staining his hands red. Because of where the wound was located, Taniel knew it would take him at least five more minutes of agony to die from the blood loss.

So Taniel ignored the stab of pain as he lifted his bow and sent a last arrow straight into the magister's throat. The last bit of mercy Taniel could show him.

They all stood still, staring for a few seconds before they finally put away their weapons.

Taniel walked over to where Dorian had knelt down in front of Alexius. "He wanted to die, didn't he?" Dorian asked Taniel when he stood next to him. "All those lies he told himself, the justifications... He lost Felix long ago and didn't even notice." The mage stood up, but kept his eyes fixed on his old mentor. "Oh, Alexius..."

Taniel just stared at the mage. Part of him wanted to tell him that they could save Alexius when they got back to their own time, but he knew better than to make promises when he didn't know if he could keep them. He didn't have the right to make those decisions.

So instead he just shifted awkwardly and said, "I know you cared for him."

"Once he was a man to whom I compared all others." He looked up at Taniel and gave him a dejected smile. "Sad, isn't it?"

Then he straightened his back and turned around and Taniel could see him switch back to business mode. "This is the same amulet he used before. I think this is the same one we made in Minrathous. That's a relief. Give me an hour to work out the spell he used, and I should be able to reopen the rift."

"An hour?" Leliana yelled as she came running in, followed by Bull and Solas who had gone to fetch Avery. "That's impossible! You must go now!"

As if on cue, a screech tore through Redcliffe, shaking the ground beneath their feet. "The Elder One." Leliana whispered and there was fear in her voice which Taniel had never heard before.

Taniel turned to Solas and Bull who were looking at each other as if they were making a decision. Then they turned back to the Herald.

"We'll hold the main doors." Bull told them, handing Avery over to Leliana. "Once they break through, it's all you, Nightingale."

"No!" Taniel panicked, "No, I won't let you commit suicide."

"Look at us," Leliana said, putting Avery on the steps behind her and for the first time Taniel realised that they wouldn't even be able to take his sister with them. She was going to die with the rest of his friends.

But Leliana continued. "We're already dead. The only way we live is if this day never comes." She turned to Dorian. "Cast your spell. You have as much time as I have arrows."

Dorian didn't waste any time before walking up the stairs and starting his spell. And Taniel could do nothing but watch as his friends left and closed the door behind them. They're protecting us. They're going to die, and I can't do a thing to help.

Leliana notched an arrow and stood ready, standing in front of Avery, protecting her for as long as she could.

"Though darkness closes in, I am shrouded in flame." The door broke open and a horde of demons entered. A terror bigger than any I had ever seen stepped in and threw Solas's body inside. Limp. He's-

"Andraste guide me. Maker, take me to your side."

Arrow after arrow flew till there were none left except the one that stuck out from her shoulder.

Then she used the bow itself, stabbing it into the demons, rolling over one demon to stab another one with the sharp tip of the bow. But she was swarmed. She won't make it...

The green behind him started to turn darker, close to opening.

And then Avery opened her eyes.

And the first thing she saw was a strange woman fighting a horde of demons and the friend she had made while imprisoned laying dead on the floor.

But Avery was always brave, and even with all that she refused to scream. But she turned around and her eyes landed on Taniel. Shock and confusion took over her eyes, followed by such joy that Taniel felt his eyes burn.

But Leliana was gone, and the demons were now moving towards his sister.

Only a strong hand on his arm stopped him from running headfirst into the demons. "You move and we all die!"

He looked back at Avery whose eyes were wide with shock. She can't move her legs, Taniel realised. She can't even run. 

He wanted to save her, everything in him screamed at him to save her.

But the only way to save her, the real her, was to go back.

So he ignored the tearing in his chest and stepped through the rift.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I done it!  
> I laughed myself shitless whole writing the conversation between Dorian and Taniel so I really hope you all enjoy it~

"You'll have to do better than that," Dorian told Alexius the moment they stepped back into the present.

And Taniel was glad that Dorian spoke, because his head was spinning too much to form a coherent sentence. Maker, I hate time-travel.

The Herald scanned the room while Dorian talked and sighed in relief when he saw everything just as they left it, everybody ready to fight, but otherwise unharmed. Taniel turned back to see a defeated look on Alexius's face as he dropped to his knees. "You won," he snarled at them. "No point extending this... charade."

The magister turned to face his son. Relief settled over Taniel when he saw that he too was standing right where they had left him, his face no longer a gaping skull. "Felix..."

Felix crouched down next to Alexius, eyes sad yet relieved. "It's going to be alright father."

But Alexius shook his head sadly. "You'll die." And Taniel hated the way the magister's voice cracked. The image of Alexius and Felix lying dead a few feet from each other flashed in his mind and he felt his gut clench.

"Everyone dies." Felix stated, staring sadly at his father.

Alexius dropped his head and waited for the guards to take him. But Taniel stepped forward, his head having finally stopped spinning, and stopped them with an upheld hand.

"Where is she?" Taniel asked Alexius, moving closer to stand over him. The magister tilted his head back, far enough that the elf could see the strain in his neck, and looked at him with his brows furrowed in confusion. "The girl you captured," Taniel hissed at him. "The spy!"

Realisation flashed in Alexius's eyes before a tired grin settled on his face. "Friend of yours?"

"Where is she?" Taniel repeated and only the calming hand Solas placed on his shoulder kept him from grabbing Alexius by the throat.

But Alexius turned his head and looked past the Herald. To Dorian. "You should know. After all, it's your fault she got captured."

Taniel turned to face Dorian but the mage adamantly avoided his eyes. "I don't know where you took her," Dorian whispered furiously, shaking his head. "Alexius, please!"

But Alexius just laughed and turned back to Taniel. "You should hurry, Herald. The girl might not be alive for much longer."

Taniel spun on his heel and stormed through a door which he hoped would lead him to the cells. He could hear the guards lifting Alexius to his feet and taking him away, but he didn't care. He would tear the castle apart if that was what it took to find Avery.

"Lavellan!" Dorian yelled, running after him. "You're still injured! We need to stop the bleeding first!"

But Taniel didn't feel the pain in his shoulder anymore. Fear and adrenalin were pumping through his body and all he cared about was finding his sister. He turned blindly down a hall and stopped abruptly when he hit a dead-end. He spun around to find another passage that could lead to the dungeons, but found his way blocked.

"Dorian..."

"You need to calm down, Herald!" Dorian reprimanded him out of breath before taking a deep breath to calm down. "You won't find Avery this way."

"I need to find her, Dorian," Taniel said urgently, his hands moving restlessly at his sides.

"I know," the mage replied calmly, locking his hazel eyes onto Taniel's. "And I'll help you. After we bind your wound."

Taniel looked like he wanted to argue but Dorian just stared at him unflinchingly with his eyebrows raised until he gave in. "Fine. I promise I'll let Solas tend to my wound, but... Can you go with the guards to look for her? I want her to see at least one familiar face when they find her."

Dorian gave a small smile and nodded before he led them back to the throne room. He didn't say a word before heading over to the guards. Taniel stared after him in wonder as he whispered something to Leliana and the guards before heading through a set of doors, the guards following closely. Maybe he could trust him more than he had initially thought.

It was only after he was gone that Taniel realised what was going on in the centre of the room. King Alistair?

Taniel walked closer to find out what was going on and Solas followed him with bandages and salves to tend to his shoulder.

"You and your followers have worn out your welcome," King Alistair was telling Fiona, who looked like a scolded dog, her eyes wide with fear. "Leave Ferelden, or we'll be forced to make you leave."

"But we have hundreds who need protection! Where will we go?" Fiona pleaded and Taniel couldn't help but feel pity for her. What Alexius did wasn't her fault. They merely wanted someone to lead them so they could become something more than just rebel mages. They wanted a worthy cause.

"The Inquisition could offer you protection." Taniel offered before he could even think about it. He let out a sigh in his head. The advisors are going to yell at me later, aren't they?

Fiona turned to him, her eyes glinting with hope and distrust. "And what are the terms of this arrangement?"

"Hopefully better than what Alexius gave you," Dorian said as he swaggered through the doors he had gone through a few minutes ago. The fleeting look he gave Taniel was all answer he needed. She's safe. "The Inquisition is better than that, yes?"

"They have nowhere else to go." Solas whispered to Taniel from where he was busy binding his shoulder, his hands quick and careful.

"It seems we have little choice but to accept whatever you offer." Fiona sighed and left after explaining that she had to go ready the mages for the journey to Haven.

Taniel smiled for what felt like the first time in years. They had the mages.

And he finally had his sister back.

×•×•×•×  
"You're going to freeze to death if you keep this up, you know."

Taniel turned from his perch on the barrels he had been sitting on for the last hour to find Dorian staring at him with his hands tucked deep into his coat.

He stood up and stretched his legs before walking closer to the mage who was busy watching the air fog in front of his mouth every time he breathed.

"Maker, how haven't you gotten frostbite yet? I'm wearing twice as much clothes and I still can't feel my fingers," Dorian grumbled, trying to wiggle himself impossibly deeper into his coat.

Taniel just laughed at the mage, though he could understand the mage's confusion. After all, Taniel was only wearing thin cotton pants, an oversized white shirt and his elven footwraps since the rest of his clothes were mostly destroyed after fighting so many demons. Luckily for him, he was used to cold weather from living with the dalish.

"Not very cold where you're from, I take it?" Taniel asked the mage who just scoffed.

"Not this damn cold, that's for sure," Dorian moaned. "At least there I could walk around shirtless and make men and women swoon without the fear of losing my nipples to frostbite."

Taniel's eyes went wide before a laugh pushed its way through his lips and he and Dorian started laughing together.

"That would be a sight to see," Taniel chuckled when he could finally speak again.

Dorian raised his eyebrows at Taniel and let out a small 'oh?' before walking past him to the entrance of the small house Taniel was busy stalking. It was barely ten steps away from the room he had been using for his own after he woke up there after the Conclave. 

"Is there any specific reason why you were skulking around outside Avery's room like a psycho, or is it just to pass the time?" Dorian grinned.

Taniel felt the tips of his ears heat up as he moved closer to be able to see through the doorframe. "Adan chased me out. Said it was 'unhealthy' for me to spend all my time sitting next to Avery's bed waiting for her to wake up."

Dorian let out a chuckle but didn't say anything, so Taniel turned to face him and leaned back against the wall. "You never told me how you found Avery so quickly."

"You never asked," Dorian grinned and Taniel looked at him flatly, though he was sure the humour in his eyes would give him away.

"Seriously though, you were barely gone for ten minutes. What did you do, teleport?"

"Ah, I wish. That would have been much more flashy." He grinned at Taniel who just raised his eyebrows with a grin, waiting for a real answer. "Fine, fine, I give," Dorian held his hands up before continuing. "I remembered the location of the chamber we found Solas in and that he had said something about her being in the same room as him for a while, so I thought that it would be a good place to start."

"But that's on the other side of the castle!" Taniel argued with a confused furrow between his brows.

"Ah, yes, but a few hallways into the dungeons I found little Avery running away from a group of guards. She must have escaped, and not for the first time judging by how irritated the guards looked." Dorian let out a fond chuckle and Taniel couldn't help but grin at the thought. She never was a very timid girl to begin with, it made sense that she wouldn't take to imprisonment very well.

"I took out the guards as quickly as I could but one of the mages fired an energy-drain spell that put her to sleep instantly. So, once they were all dead or incapacitated, I told the guards to take care of Avery and ran back to tell you that she was safe."

Taniel just stared at Dorian in wonder. "Thank you." The mage had helped them to get everything set for the trek back to Haven before leaving to finalise some things with Felix. Taniel honestly hadn't expected to see him again, yet they were barely back at Haven before the mage appeared and told everyone that he would be staying to help the Inquisition, which made Taniel happier than he would care to admit.

"Now, if you're done freezing to death, how about we go grab a tankard of something strong and warm at the tavern? Maker knows we deserve it," Dorian grinned at Taniel and despite the cold, the elf suddenly found Haven unbearably hot.

So instead he averted his eyes and looked at his sister's sleeping face through the door. What if she wakes up and I'm not here?

Dorian let of a sigh. "I know you want to be here when she wakes up, and I understand that, but you do realise you are going to scare she living shit out of her if she wakes up and the first thing she sees is you staring at her though the door, don't you?"

Taniel's eyes widened and Dorian laughed. "Come on, you deserve to relax for a bit. I'm sure one of the servants who constantly come to check on herr will let us know if she wakes up."

Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope jou enjoyed it~  
> If you did, please leave a kudos or a comment.  
> You can also come scream at me on tumblr at alotofconfusedscreaming !! I am also working on some art for da'len which I will hopefully post on tumblr when it's done


	4. Chapter 4

Avery's eyes shot open at a loud crash and a loudly whispered "piss!"

Groggily she sat up, hissing as pain shot through her left shoulder when she leaned on it. She shifted her weight to her right and looked around the room to find a lanky elf with hair that looked as if it had been cut with a butter knife. There was a broken glass and a half empty pitcher of water at her feet.

"Shit, you're awake! Sorry 'bout that. Wait! Let me go get you some new water," the elf yelled, trying to kick the broken glass under a table with a foot while mumbling to herself. "Damn Solas leaving his chair in the middle of the path, I could have broken my neck!"

"Please, stop, just... give me a second," Avery asked, clutching her throbbing head. Last thing I remember I was... I was running away from the guards after escaping my cell. But there was someone... someone caught me after I was hit with something...

"Dorian!" Avery burst out, suddenly upright and the girl jumped closer to keep her in the bed. Her eyes were wild, scanning the room to try to figure out where she was, where Dorian was.

"Woah there jumpy, calm down. If you want to see mister evil magister, I'll go get him, though I would think you'd want to see the Herald first."

"Who?" Avery asked, her head tilting to the side.

The girl's eyes widened, and she stepped back giggling and shaking her head. "You don't know?" Avery shook her head and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "Okay, here's the deal. My name is Sera. This freezing, mage infested town, is called Haven, the new home of the grand Inquisition."

Avery nodded hesitantly, still not sure what exactly was going on. "But why would I want to see your 'Herald'?"

Sera let out another laugh. "Oh, this is too good," she stepped closer and gripped Avery's arms to help her up. "Come on, get dressed. I'll show you."

The air outside was colder than Avery had expected, even more so since she was only wearing a large green shirt that came down to just above her knees with brown elven footwraps which were a bit too loose around her calves. Sera had offered to help her with her hair, but Avery had kindly denied, instead shoving her hair back into a loose bun.

But even with the footwraps almost coming up to her knees, she was still cold. She could feel the snow crunching between her toes as they followed a small path up a few stairs to what Sera had pointed out as the tavern, though Avery still couldn't understand why they were heading there of all places to talk to the 'Herald of Andraste'. 

She could have moaned when she stepped into the heat of the tavern and felt the snow clinging to her shirt melt away. The room was almost completely filled with people drinking and talking, some huddling in front of the fireplace. There was a boom of laughter from the bar on Avery's left and she turned to see a large qunari bull sitting with his hand to his stomach as he laughed. Standing next to him and barely even reaching his waist was a ginger dwarf with a shirt that split open down his chest to reveal a patch of curling chest hair.

On the right side of the group by the bar Avery recognized Dorian laying with his head on the table as he laughed, and she was about to head closer when her eyes landed on the person sitting in the middle of the group. Shaggy brown hair and the same clothes he always wore hanging off his shoulders a bit as he lifted a tankard to his mouth.

Avery turned to Sera who was trying not to laugh at Avery's confused face. "I don't understand," she said bluntly, and Sera doubled over laughing.

"That, my dear," she said when she calmed down, "is the Herald of Andraste, Taniel Lavellan."

As if hearing Sera say his name, Taniel turned in his seat, his eyes glassy and mouth slightly open. He suddenly stumbled off of his chair and the rest of his group looked up shocked and confused. Dorian jumped up after him on reflex, trying to keep the elf who was wobbling on his feet from falling to the ground. He then followed Taniel's line of sight and smiled.

"You're awake," he grinned, and Avery felt all the confusion and tension flowing out of her, leaving only happiness and relief. She half-jogged over to him and threw her arms around both her brother and her best friend.

"Avery..." Taniel slurred and Avery pulled away with a chuckle, wiping a few stray tears of happiness from her eyes.

"I leave you alone for a few hours and you get my brother drunk?" She laughed at Dorian who was busy trying to get him to sit on the chair again.

"You could have told me he was such a lightweight," he laughed back and suddenly it felt like those weeks where she had been arrested were just a bad dream. "Do you dalish just not drink alcohol or something?"

"We do, but Taniel always stayed away from it. Said he didn't like the taste." The qunari stood up from his chair, smiling and muttering something about going to check on the Chargers before he left, the dwarf following him after downing the last bit of his tankard. Avery dragged his abandoned chair closer to her brother and sat down.

"I guess the Inquisition has better alcohol then, judging by the way he threw them back," Dorian laughed and even with his face covered in a drunken blush, Taniel had the sense to look offended.

"You were the one who kept ordering them!" He yelled, having regained a little of his ability to speak and Avery laughed at the way his eyes went slightly out of focus as he did. "Besides," he mumbled, the tips of his ears going red, "the drinks were warm, and I was freezing."

"Serves you right for waiting outside Avery's room in the snow for Maker-knows how long!" Dorian laughed and Avery raised her eyebrows but decided she would ask about that later. She would figure everything out later.

But for now, she had her brother and her best friend back, and not even Fen'Harel himself was going to stop her from drinking and laughing with them till they were physically thrown out of the tavern.   
•×•×•×•×

The first thing Taniel saw when he opened his eyes was...wood?

It was only when sharp pain shot through his back that he realised that he was lying on the floor in the middle of the tavern, the low burning fireplace on his right, a snoring body on his left.

Pushing himself up on one shoulder, he forced himself to sit up despite his throbbing head and look around. The body next to him had belonged to the lumbering mass of the Iron Bull who was blissfully snoring away. A few steps further, Varric was lounged in a chair near the fire, his neck hanging forward in a way that promised a seriously stiff neck once he woke up. The only people missing were...

"So, the sleeping beauty finally awakens," a deep voice drawled from the doorway and Taniel looked up to see Dorian standing in the doorway, his arms wrapped around himself and his body outlined by the early morning grey.

Taniel rolled his eyes and stood up, careful not to disturb Bull, though he knew that they would have to wake them sooner or later. Dorian stopped at the bar while Taniel was trying to locate his missing footwraps, which he finally found hanging from one of the rafters, and when he finally followed the mage out the door, Dorian was carrying two mugs of something warm with a sickly-sweet smell.

He followed the mage all the way to the spot Varric usually occupied, where he put the mugs down and dusted then snow from the ledge before sitting down. Taniel hesitated for a second before climbing up and sitting cross-legged next to him. The Herald's eyes caught on the burned-out fire in front of them and he smiled as he took his steaming cup from Dorian.

"I thought you didn't like the cold," Taniel teased as he cradled the warm mug closer to him.

"I guess it's growing in me," Dorian smirked as he watched the snow fall onto the brown leather of his boots. "Besides, I find it quite helpful to help stay awake despite the hangover."

Taniel groaned in agreement as his head throbbed. "Did you sleep in the tavern too?" He asked as he found himself unable to picture Dorian sleeping on anything less than a fluffy bed stuffed with feathers.

"O, Maker no," he laughed. "Avery and I were the only ones left after you and the others fell asleep, so I helped her back to the room she was sleeping in before. It was quite comfortable, like we were back to the days sneaking around behind Alexius's back, though I was hesitant to go to sleep on the couch. I couldn't very well have a lady, especially an injured one, sleeping on the floor like a drunkard. No offence of course."

"I'll let you get away with it this time," Taniel chuckled before taking a sip of his drink. "Can I ask... How exactly did we end up on the floor? And... why were my footwraps on the rafters?" Taniel asked hesitantly, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

"You don't remember? You climbed onto the rafters screaming something about challenging the gods and then you started stripping. Pity you fell off before you could take off more than your footwraps," Dorian laughed and Taniel's face went redder than the glow of the sun that was beginning to peak over the mountaintops.

"I'm kidding," Dorian reassured him laughing, to which Taniel gave a sigh of relief, clutching his hand to his chest. "Bull was mocking you about your height and said that you wouldn't be able to reach the rafters, even on his shoulders. And of course you took that as a challenge and when you finally did make it up there, I helpfully suggested that you leave part of your clothing there as a reminder of your tremendous accomplishment, though I was rather hoping it would be your shirt or those awful pants. And afterwards, you and Bull collapsed on the ground laughing before promptly falling asleep." Dorian laughed and though he was glad that he hadn't started stripping in front of the people he was going to work with for Maker-knows how long, Taniel was still embarrassed by what he had done.

Dorian must have seen this because let out a small comforting laugh before saying, "You know, you're a very serious person most of the time, and I respect that, but once you get drunk, you're a lot like Avery." When Taniel's eyes widened, Dorian huffed and rolled his eyes before continuing. "That's a good thing. You do know that it's important to relax once in a while, don't you? Besides, it helps make you more human, which, if I've learned anything from Tevinter, is important for a leader. Do you think the troops or even us will willingly throw ourselves into battle for a stone-hearted leader? So, think of this as working and enjoy the rest of your drink!" Dorian raised his mug in a toast before draining the last of its contents in one go.

Taniel let himself relax and raised his own mug, swallowing as much of it as he could in one go. When he'd finally finished his cup, he saw an almost transparent, blueish leaf at the bottom of the cup. "What's this?" He asked, lifting it carefully out of his cup. 

"Crystal Grace, I believe. Adan gave it to me, said something about it being good for hangovers as well as making a pitch grenade, though it is not recommended to do both at once." Dorian said, taking the leaf, or rather the petal Taniel realized, and holding it up to the rising sun. The light that filtered through the petal cast a delicate blue shadow over Dorian face and Taniel couldn't help but be entranced by the way it played over his striking features. Dorian shifted his eyes away from the petal to Taniel, who hadn't realised that he had been staring. He sat back, a blush forming on his delicate features which made his black vallaslin stand out even more.

Dorian laughed, a deep rumble in his chest, and winked at the flustered Herald before hopping off of his perch. Taniel followed quickly and they started walking back to the tavern as the first people started waking up and leaving their tents.

When they were right outside the door to the tavern, Taniel suddenly stopped the mage. "About Avery... have you told her about what happened? About how we found her, I mean."

"She asked when she was already cuddled up in bed. I told her about how I met the Inquisition and how we took on Alexius, but I decided to leave out the time travelling bit. It's up to you whether or not to tell her. I hope that was okay?"

"Yes, of course it was. I just wanted to be prepared for what she might ask me today," Taniel gave a weak laugh before heading in.

"But are you?" Dorian asked as he put their mugs on the table, and Taniel could feel the dull throb in his head fade away. He would have to thank Adan later. "Going to tell her, I mean?"

"I don't know," Taniel trailed off, looking towards where Bull and Varric were still snoring. "I mean, I guess I have to since I have to tell the advisors and since we already told the others what happened on the way back, I don't want her to hear it second hand and to think that I was hiding it from her. I just..." He sighed, shaking his head.

"You don't want to hurt her," Dorian finished for him, nodding. He then came closer with two glasses of water and handed one to Taniel. "Don't worry, I'll help you. But for now," he gave an evil grin, lifting his glass and standing next to Varric, motioning for Taniel to stand over Bull, "we need to wake the poor things as calmly as possible."

Then he poured his entire glass of water on Varric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interactions between companions give me life. I wanted to add a few chapters of fluff before starting on In Your Heart Shall Burn, though I am excited to get to Skyhold since I have a lot more ideas for things there *cue evil laughter *


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo... I'm alive. 
> 
> University has been a bit of a bitch, but thanks to the quarantine, I FINALLY had some time to write.
> 
> So, I hope everyone is still staying safe and healthy, and without further ado, enjoy~

Avery woke to a sharp cry.

For a few seconds, she stayed frozen in her bed, screams of the magister's other prisoners blocking out everything else. It took a few minutes of laboured breathing before she realised that instead of the permanent chill of the cell she had gotten used to, she was surrounded by soft furs and the gentle glow of candles.

Sluggishly, she dragged herself out of her warm bed, already shivering at the thought of having to go out into the cold again with nothing more than the long shirt and footwraps they gave her. She braced herself and stepped outside. Her head pounded as she tried to remember the path Sera had shown her, finally stumbling down the steps to her right. Ahead of her was a choice if three paths to take. She could not remember ever seeing the path straight ahead, and the path to the right led to enormous wooden doors, most likely the main gate.

To the left were another set of steps, and about halfway up Avery saw the dwarf from yesterday wrapped in a blanket and standing close enough to the fire that Avery was worried that _he'd_ catch fire. Next to him, the qunari bull, as well as Dorian and Taniel, were laughing, the mage patting him on the shoulder.

When Avery was close enough, Dorian looked up and smiled, "Avery, maybe you can help calm down Varric, he's being stubborn."

The dwarf looked up at Dorian in disbelief and they all started laughing again.

Avery leveled Dorian with a flat stare, though she couldn't keep the amusement completely off her face. "What did you do this time?"

The qunari let out another bark of laughter.

"Those two," the dwarf - Varric - said, pointing between Dorian and Taniel, "Thought that it was a good idea to _drench_ me in water to wake me up! I could have frozen to death!"

Avery tried her best not to laugh at how Varric's voice went higher and higher in pitch the longer he talked.

"Well technically," the qunari started, leaning back against the ledge, "they threw water on both of us and I'm still alive."

"They threw the water on your chest! They threw it on my _face_! There's a big difference!" Avery fought to keep from laughing as Varric grumbled, "Besides, you lived on the Storm Coast, so you were almost permanently soaked. I'm a dwarf, and dwarves don't do wet."

"Ok." Avery said, putting up her hands to stop their bickering, though she was tempted to see where the arguments were heading. "I have an easy way to solve this. Who threw the water on Varric?"

Varric's hand immediately shot up to point to Dorian and Avery smirked. _Typical_. "Ok, then you can have your retribution. Will someone be so kind as to fetch a glass of water?"

Varric's eyes were glistening, and Dorian stood still for a few seconds, processing her words before backing away as quickly as he could, eyes wide. "No. No way, Avery, you can't be serious?!"

"Sorry Dorian, but fair is fair." She said, though it was quite obvious that she was enjoying this very much. He turned to Taniel for help, but he just crossed his arms and leaned back on the ledge next to the qunari.

Varric turned to Avery with a smirk. "Can you hold him still for me?"

Avery smiled and turned back to Dorian, slowly moving closer, ready to run if need be. "Running away will only make it worse, Dorian, you know from experience that I'm faster than you are."

She waited no longer than it took to finish her sentence before jumping the last step and grabbing Dorian, her arms locking around his waist to keep him in place. He could have easily gotten out of her grasp if he tried seeing as she was much smaller than him, coming up to about his chest. Yet he stood still and braced himself. "Fine, just get it over with, dwarf. Where's the water?"

But Varric just bent down and scooped as much snow into his hands as he could manage.

"Who needs water?"

****

Cassandra was not amused.

Not that she would admit, anyway. The moment she saw the drenched dwarf and the screaming mage who was hoping up and down, trying to shake the snow out of his clothes, she started yelling that they were making a fool of themselves and that they were going to get sick.

Not even five minutes later, both were forced back into the tavern and in front of the fireplace, covered in thick bear hide blankets (the qunari - Iron Bull, Cassandra had called him- had passed out almost immediately in front of the fire), Avery laughing herself silly at Dorian's grouching, even after Taniel had been called away for a meeting with the advisors.

"Look at me, I'm shaking! How could you be so cruel to me? Is this what our friendship means to you? After everything I've done for you, you're going to let me die like this... I can feel my life force slipping away... I'm too pretty to die!"

"Oh, you poor baby, how could life be so cruel?!" Avery laughed, handing him a mug of tea - he'd declined the offer of warm ale, saying he wasn't going through that headache again.

She sat down on a chair next to Dorian, pulling one leg up to rest her head on her knee. "Haven is so... different. I still can't believe this is real, you, Taniel..."

"Most people wish that this _wasn't_ real. You know, with the hole in the sky and all. But I must admit, even I couldn't have known that this was how it was going to play out."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, _really_ happy, it just... feels like a dream, like I'm about to wake up in my cell screaming."

There was a long pause as Dorian sipped at his tea before talking again, a small frown tugging at his lips. He stared into the fireplace for a second before shaking himself and turning to Avery with a smile. "Anyway, you should probably get a weapon soon. Our blacksmith, Harrit, is one of the best I've seen, at least outside Tevinter."

"I'll have to talk to Taniel first, but I dont have any money." Avery put down her leg and stretched. Being inside all day made her body feel tired and heavy, and now that she was finally free she wanted to _move_.

The door to the mostly empty tavern swung open and a young man came in. He wore a soldiers uniform, a large weapon that looked like a super-sized rock hammer hung on his back. He headed straight for the Iron Bull and landed a smack in the middle of his forehead, promptly waking the large man up.

"Wake up, chief, you lazy bum. We've got a new task from quartermaster Threnn, we need to go before dark."

Bull sat up groggilly and turned to face the man, his eyes still struggling to focus. "Damnit Krem, I was having the best dream! I was riding a dragon, Krem, a _dragon_."

Despite his protests, Bull stood up and stretched. "What's the job this time? Please don't tell me it's rats in the food stores again. I'm too big to make my way around all those crates and those little twitching noses creep me out."

"Lucky you, then, boss. The quartermaster asked us to gather some supplies for her, a few plants but mostly metals and hides, so you can finally kill something, even if it's just a druffallo."

Avery's ears perked up, and before she knew it, she was making her way over to Bull. "I can help," she blurted before she could stop herself. Both men looked at her as if she'd just sprouted a third arm. "I mean, I don't have any weapons yet, but I can help with gathering and carrying."

The man called Krem scrunched his brows in confusion. "You _want_ to help? I mean, pardon my saying so, miss, but aren't you the Herald's sister? You don't have to work, at least not now since you just got here."

"I feel restless just sitting around, and I feel much better thanks to Adan. Please allow me to help you," Avery asked, giving a slight bow of her head.

"Now, now, why so formal?" Bull laughed. "Having such a strong mage on our side would be totally badass, and the more hands, the quicker we can finish and get some drinks!"

Avery laughed and relaxed, turning to Dorian to see if he wanted to join them, but he just gave her a look that said, "you will physically have to drag me out to get me away from the comfort of the fireplace."

So instead she just turned back to Bull and motioned him to lead the way. She followed him back down the path she had taken to get to the tavern a few hours ago, but instead of turning right back to her temporary room, they headed straight down and through the gates.

Outside, Avery was shocked at how many soldiers there were, sparring and fighting against training dummies. It hadn't quite sunk in yet that the inquisition was a legitimate army.

On her left she could hear the sound of metal striking metal and she turned to see what seemed to be the forge. She made a mental note to return later after she spoke with Taniel about weapons and armour (or at least, just something warmer than what she currently had).

"Where are the rest of the chargers?" Bull's gruff voice asked from ahead of her and Krem as they turned right, walking past the training soldiers.

"Liliana has them out on a quick mission to the Storm Coast, chief, something about a mercenary camp. So it's just us today."

Bull let out a sarcastic 'great' and lead them up a small path leading away from Haven. "Most of the herbs and metals the quartermaster asked for is in this area. The druffallos," he pointed further down the path, through a small wooden gate, "are over there. I can handle them on my own, so you two can get the other supplies."

"Giving us the safe job?" Avery asked with a smirk. "Or just the boring one?"

"What? Me? Never!" Bull looked offended, even though he wasn't even trying to hide his smile. "But you are a lot smaller than I am, you can reach those tricky places to get the resources. Me on the other hand... I'd rather just hit something," he laughed, patting the large axe on his back.

With that, Bull set off down the path. Krem had brought a few chisels to get the iron nodes loose from the rock, so Avery decided to start with picking the elfroot.

"So you were in Redcliffe, huh?" Krem asked as he broke a piece of iron off the rock. "What was it like?"

Avery stuffed a handful of elfroot into the satchel Krem had handed her and stood up. "Which part? The castle or the dungeon?"

Krem tensed for a second, afraid he'd hit a nerve, before he saw that Avery was smiling. He let out a small laugh, "both, I guess."

"Well, the castle itself was quite nice, except that Alexius had absolutely _no_ sence for decor. I mean, he just splashed about a hundred tacky wolf statues all over the place, not to even start on the horrible tapestries." Avery laughed. She spotted a small patch of elfroot on top of the rock Krem was working on, as well as a clump of iron. She made her way over to Krem and grabbed a chisel before starting to scale the icy rock.

"I know what you mean." Krem laughed. "Tevinter had the same problem, except with these large dragon statues. Maker, rich people really have no sense of style, do they?"

Avery laughed as she lifted one leg to manoeuvre her way up. She let out a small yelp as her foot slipped on a piece of ice. Krem immediately dropped his chisel, darting forward to catch her, but Avery grabbed onto the rock to steady herself and huffed out a small laugh before just climbing further.

Krem relaxed and picked up his chisel with a laugh. "You're something else, you know. Kind of remind me of a squirrel. Or maybe a fenecc? Though they're way to quiet."

Avery finally reached the top and started harvesting the plants. "Now you sound just like Taniel." Avery laughed. "He always said that I was wilder than the halla we guarded."

"Really? I always thought they were quite peaceful?"

"They are, most of the time, but if even something small scares them, they run like a greater terror in a bathrobe is chasing them. I mean, seriously, have you ever tried forcing a scared halla back into their pen? And without being forceful!" Avery half-yelled and said in a old, wise voice,"'You must be patient, da'len, the halla can feel your aggression.' Yet to this day I still can't tell the difference between when I'm relaxed when I'm doing it or when I'm peaceful, they crush my toes either way."

Krem was laughing hard enough that his hands started to feel weak and he had to focus to keep from dropping the hammer on his toes. Avery herself chuckled as she started chiseling at the iron. "Sounds like a fun place, you must be dying to go back." Krem laughed and stuffed the piece of iron that _almost_ crushed his toes into his own satchel.

"I honestly don't know if I want to go home. I mean, I love my clan, but Taniel's the only family I really _need_ , and despite all that's happened, this time away from the camp has been the best time of my life. I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end." Avery finished on her piece of iron and started climbing down, a bit more careful than when she climbed up.

"Well, you can always join our little inquisition. After all, you are the Herald's sister, I doubt anyone will have the guts to send you away. And I bet mister Herald will love to have you."

Avery lifted her eyebrows and smiled. "That might be fun, though it's not a decision I can make alone. Anyway, it looks like we collected all the resources in this area, are we going to join Bull?"

Krem nodded and shoved his chisels back into his bag. They started up the path and Avery's eyes caught on a small wooden building. "What's in there?" She asked and pointed it out to Krem.

"Don't know, want to check it out? Could have something useful inside?" Krem asked and Avery nodded. This close to Haven, she doubted that there would be anything dangerous inside, nevertheless, she kept herself ready to cast a barrier and Krem kept his hand close to his large weapon.

Yet the inside was completely calm, albeit quite messy. Along the far wall stood a table littered in papers, ink spilled over a few that were pushed to the side as if someone had knocked the ink pot over in his hurry and couldn't be bothered to clean it up.

Other than that, the building was normal enough that Avery could actually imagine living there -hunting the wild and gathering the plants that surrounded the place to survive- or even just using the place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

She finally relaxed and stepped closer to the table. The writing on the paper was messy, but she could still make out some of the drawings in the margins. "Plants? And... what seems to be the effect of mixing them together?"

Krem, who had joined her at the table, looked over her shoulder. "Potions recipe, maybe? We should take these to Adan, maybe he could use them."

Avery was thinking the same thing and carefully folded the papers into the satchel, as far away from the elfroot as she could manage so that the plant juices wouldn't stain the paper.

They looked around the room quickly, but couldn't find anything else worth taking, so they left and went to find Bull. When they finally reached the clearing, they noticed Bull sitting on a large rock, five dead druffallo at his feet.

"What took you so long?" He yelled once they got in range. "Surely a few rocks and plants couldn't have kept you busy that long. Something you want to tell me?" He laughed, wiggling his eyebrows at Krem, who's ears promptly went red.

"You're one to talk." He retorted. "You were out here for so long and you only managed to kill five? You could have killed ten and dragged them all back to Haven by now. Getting old, chief?"

Iron Bull patted the side of his axe and smiled. "Want to come over here and test that accusation, Krem?"

"I'll pass. Luckily, I'm not suicidal yet." He laughed and went to Bull, who was busy pulling two druffallo onto his shoulders. Krem took another two, though he appeared to be struggling a lot more than Bull was. Avery was surprised that he was that strong in the first place, but looking at the gigantic weapon on his back, she supposed it made sence. Avery herself went to grab the last one, the smallest one, she realized.

"Whoa, are you sure you'll be able to handle that one?" Krem asked worriedly and Avery smirked as she pulled the giant body onto her shoulders, albeit with considerably more effort than it took the other two.

"What, didn't think a girl could carry something so big?" Avery asked, though she sounded a bit out of breath.

"No, that's not what I meant, I was just worried about your injuries. But, I see that it wasn't necessary. I never knew elves could be this strong, no offense."

"None taken. I was part of the hunters back with the clan. It would usually only be rabbits and small deer, but we were only a few hunters who had to feed a whole clan, so it wasn't uncommon to have to carry about 3 deer on your back and armsfulls of rabbits to get all the food back to the clan before wolves stole them. The balancing is a bit different with just one big animal, but other than that, it's not too hard."

Krem drew his brows up in surprise. "That's impressive." They were a few steps behind Bull already, but Krem didn't seem bothered. "If you dont mind me asking, what was the Herald's role in the clan?"

Avery took a second to readjust the druffallo's weight before answering. "That's a bit harder to explain. He didn't have a set role like hunter or guard. Instead, the keeper and elders preferred to educate him, train him. A lot of people did not like it, said that that they were treating him like the keeper's first even though the clan already had a first."

"A first?"

"The clan's next keeper, who they had to train to take over the current keeper's role. He tried to do more, he volunteered for guard duty, helped with the halla, but the keeper tried her best to keep him away. The others our age used to mock him, called him the 'golden boy', no matter how many times I'd argue that he never asked for that. In the end, it became clear that the reason the sheltered him was because she planned to send him to the Conclave as a spy."

"A spy? Why? I thought most elves didn't bother to meddle in human affairs?"

"Usually true, at least for our clan, but the keeper felt that the outcome of the conclave will affect our way of life. So she sent Taniel, and that was the last I saw of him before Haven."

"Right, you were in Redcliffe, so you probably didn't even hear about what happened. What drove you to go there, though?"

"I was still with the clan when the Conclave happened and afterwards the keeper decided that we needed a new way to keep track of the rebellion. What better place to do that then in between the mages? At that point, everyone had already decided that Taniel was dead, but I didn't want to accept it. I would know if he was, I would have _felt_ it. But with all the people who kept mourning and treating me like I was glass, I felt like I was going insane, so the moment the keeper proposed the idea, I volunteered. She was reluctant to send me, but I think she knew that I needed to get away, at least for a little while."

"But how did you sneak into Redcliffe?"

"I snuck in disguised as a cook. No one in Redcliffe really noticed a new face between all the other servants, and if they noticed that they never saw this person before, they would just think that someone hired a new servant. Except for Dorian and Felix apparently. But anyway, I heard rumours in the kitchen and in the servant's chambers about a new Inquisition, but it was quickly silenced after one of the servants made the mistake of mentioning it in front of Alexius. He was... not amused, to say the least. So I never really heard more than that there is a new Inquisition somewhere in Thedas, let alone that the person leading it was my _brother_." Avery laughed.

Krem shook his head and Avery noticed a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. Luckily, they were almost at the camp, the soldiers already in sight. Bull, of course was already lugging his two corpses inside the main gates, the big show off.

"Must have been a real surprise for you both. But it must be nice, right? Being reunited with your family?" Krem kept his head turned away, looking at the soldiers, but Avery picked up on some strain in his voice, though she was unable to tell if it was because of the weight or something else.

"Yeah, it's more than I could have hoped for," Avery admitted. "What about you? I dont know what it is, but something tells me that Bull is not your blood family."

Krem huffed a laugh as they finally made their way through the gates. The steps were a lot harder, but they both pushed through for the last stretch.

"Well your not wrong. He's the only family I've got, though, at least in a sence. But that's a _long_ story, and right now, I need a drink."

Avery laughed and let out a sigh of relief as she and Krem dropped their druffallos next to the ones Bull had left in one of the tents near who appeared to be quartermaster Threnn. Bull was busy talking to her and judging by her face, she was not a willing participant. She shared a look with Krem before going to save Bull before Threnn ran that sword at her hip into his foot.

"So you two finally caught up, huh." Bull joked, clapping Krem on his back and causing the poor man to wince at his sore shoulders. "You got that herbs and metals gathered?"

Both Krem and Avery took off the satchels at their hips and handed it to Threnn, who took it gratefully - though it was hard to tell with her face - and put it on her table. Avery nodded goodbye to her and Krem dragged Bull away.

"I was just trying to cheer her up!" Bull defended. "She looked upset!"

Krem rolled his eyes. "She always looks upset, chief, that's just her face. You just like irritating people."

"It passes the time, and you have to admit, it's entertaining." Bull laughed and nudged Krem's shoulder, who in turn gave him a flat look as he rubbed his sore shoulder. "But now, it's time for a drink!"

"You'd think you would have learned your lesson after last night." Avery laughed, grimacing at her own sore muscles immediately after.

"All I learned is not to fall asleep within a ten meter radius of Dorian." Bull mock-shivered, looking at Avery and almost fell down the steps leading to the Tavern.

Avery laughed and shook her head. "Well, you go enjoy that, I need to speak to Adan first, I have something for him."

Bull raised his eyebrows, but just told her to join them after and followed Krem into the warm tavern.

The inside of Adan's room was not as warm as Avery would have thought. " _Black lotus_ ," Adan explained, " _is quite sensitive to heat_."

"But anyway," he continued, not looking up from where he was crushing some of the aforementioned black lotus in a small bowl, "I assume your wounds are feeling better? I hear you've been up and about."

"Oh, yes, I feel much better, thanks to you."

"Luckily, you were a much easier patient than your brother, we had him passed out for nearly a week after he resealed the breach."

"You must be a talented healer then."

"Pah, I am merely an apothecary substituting for a real healer. I cannot grant them true relief like others can, but I will do what I can. That being said, I still prefer mixing potions."

"About that," Avery stepped forward, rummaging through her satchel, "I found these in a small cabin just outside the city. They looked like potion recipes, so Krem thought they might be of use to you."

Adan took the papers and started looking through them with a confused frown before he looked up in shock. "Master Taigen's notes! I had heard he was working on something, but I could never find out what. This is incredibly helpful, thank you."

"I'm glad I could help. If you ever need any help or resources, please feel free to ask. I should probably let you get back to your work." Avery greeted him, though he was so enthralled with the notes that she doubted he heard a word of it.

Though the room wasn't much warmer than the outside, it was certainly darker, and Avery had to squint against the sudden light. She started heading back to the tavern, realising she should probably check up on Dorian and make sure Bull hadn't done anything stupid, yet she stopped in her tracks when she heard Taniel's voice inside a small house on her left.

Carefully peaking inside, she saw her brother hunched over something on a table along with an elf who was quite a bit taller than him. At the opening of the door, they both looked up and Taniel smiled at her, coming closer to greet her, the other elf trailing behind a bit.

"Am I intruding?"

"Not at all, Solas was telling me more about the theory behind time magic to help me figure something out." Taniel led her deeper into the room, allowing her to see the book they had been leaning over.

She turned to Solas and bowed her head in greeting, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He smiled and when Avery turned back to Taniel, he had a mild look of shock on his face.

When he finally caught Avery's eye, he shook his head. "I guess there's no better time than the present, huh?" He said with an attempt at a smile. "Do you know where Dorian is?"

****

A few minutes later, Dorian, Solas, Taniel and Avery were all seated inside Solas's small room and Taniel started explaining what had happened at Redcliffe. Dorian, being the only other person who had travelled through time, helped to fill in the blanks as he spoke, while Solas stopped them every now and then to ask Dorian questions about the theory he had helped develop which had formed the base of the time magic.

When they finally finished, Taniel waited quietly for Avery's reaction. He didnt know what he was expecting her reaction to be, but it was not her laughing. When he looked at her in confusion, she shook her head, "You're looking at me like you're expecting my eyes to jump out of my head any moment."

The others joined her in laughing and Taniel felt his ears turn red. Avery moved closer to him to lean her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. For coming back for me. And for having _amazing_ timing."

Taniel huffed a small laugh and smiled. "Anytime."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you enjoyed~
> 
> I know there is a bit if a discrepancy with Avery's past since her being a mage would have technically made her the first, but I am planning to do something with that later ;)
> 
> Also, since there are probably a few spelling mistakes, I have decided to turn it into a scavenger hunt, and whoever can point out spelling mistakes will get the supreme honour of being granted the title of good boy/girl/entity/banana/whatever by myself, so let the games begin~


	6. Chapter 6

" _Creators_ , my shoulders are _killing_ me!"

"So you have said at least five times in the last 100 meters, my dear." Dorian smiled at Avery, who was pouting into her horse's reins. They had dismounted, you guessed it, about a 100 meters back when they entered the Crossroads at the Hinterlands.

"Well it hasn't stopped being true in those 100 meters," she mumbled, though the pain was apparently not bad enough to keep her from straining her neck to look around. Dorian couldn't exactly blame her though, even despite all the refugees, the Crossroads was beautiful.

"We can't get distracted," Taniel reminded her with a hand on her arm ( _gently_ , lest the pain be too much) as she started wandering to the few stalls scattered around. "We are here to help the refugees. There will be another chance to look around" he promised when she pouted again.

She gave a dramatic sigh (which had Dorian written all over it) and followed Taniel up the steps to where the hunter had set up. Though while she stood waiting for Taniel to finish talking to the few people who had taken charge, she got restless and decided to look for some herbs nearby which could help quartermaster Threnn or Adan, Dorian promptly following her, saying that he wasn't going to let her have all the fun.

Surely enough, there was a small garden overrun with elfroot just a few steps away from where they were standing and Dorian knocked on the door to get permission before Avery "completely destroyed some poor sod's garden".

The house was silent, though, and the door creaked open when he knocked. Hesitantly, he stepped inside, hand cautiously on his staff. Yet the inside was empty, dust floating up from the floor as he stepped inside. Avery had stepped in right behind him and started walking around the room curiously. Dorian went with his natural instinct and walked over to the bookcase and the small table beside it. On the table lay a small pile of notes, which upon closer inspection looked to be a diary of sorts. Curiously, Dorian began to read.

_Low on elfroot. Send girl out tomorrow to gather more. Send village boy with her. Fighting closer. Redcliffe closed gates. Refugees staying by crossroads now._

_Treated refugees. Illness and stomach trouble from eating spoiled food. Burn marks consistent with magic attacks. One elderly refugee had bone-sickness, made worse by fleeing village when apostates attacked._

_More refugee arrivals. Elfroot, spindleweed low. Treated slash wounds, contusions, internal bleeding. Six treated, two eased to Maker. Reported templars attacked them as suspected apostates._

_Treated frost-cough at crossroads. Sent letter to Redcliffe asking for blankets. No response. Widow Taine passed in sleep._

_Treated hunger shivers at crossroads. More refugees. Burns and contusions, severe bleeding. Caught in fighting between apostates and templars. Amputated arm to save girl. Will die without more elfroot anyway, but too dangerous to gather more._

_Girl running high fever. Refugees found merchant wagon burning on way to crossroads. Matched Old Vinn's wagon. No bodies, but everything in wagon taken. No more supplies coming._

_Think girl will make it. Used last of elfroot. Making poultices from whatever I can find. Telling refugees to boil anything they eat or drink. Too many sick. Giselle came, said Inquisition help is not far behind._

_Fighting outside. Sounds like templars and mages both. Refugees scattered. Someone outside, screaming. Have to help._

"Maker," Avery breathed and Dorian spun around to see her stepping back from where she had been reading over his shoulder. She looked like she was about to be sick, and Dorian found that he felt the same way. They stood in a heavy silence for what could have been seconds or hours before Avery broke the silence. "We need to help the refugees," she whispered determinedly, "we need to make sure that no one else goes through what she did."

Dorian nodded and they prepared to go back to Taniel again, yet stopped when he got halfway through the door.

"Dorian?" Avery asked when she realised he hadn't followed her. But instead of answering, he went into her small garden and pulled out all of the healthy elfroot. He took half of them and started weaving them together in silence, and the other half he put into his satchel. "We are going to make her sacrifice mean something and help as many people as we can."

He placed the weaved bed of flowers on her bed as a tribute with a whispered 'Maker be with you' before they headed back to the others.

Taniel was finishing up talking to a group of refugees, offering some of his travel food to the children, when they joined them. When they were a few steps away, Taniel turned to them. "We were asked to get as much food and blankets as we can for the refugees. Apparently, there are a lot of wild ram near here, so we can start there."

They all nodded and started towards their horses when a small hand grabbed Taniel's coat. The frail old man was barely concealing his fear, but his eyes were determined as they looked at the Herald. "Please, sir, it's my wife."

Taniel turned his body to look at the man. "What's wrong with your wife?"

"She gets sick when the weather's fowl. Can't catch her breath, like cobwebs in her lungs." He carefully removed his shaking hand and stood up straighter. "Our son Hyndel makes a potion that lets her breathe. He's the only one that can make it, but he's joined that cult in the hills. Please get to him and tell him what's wrong. Without the potion, she'll die."

Taniel took the old man's hand gently and promised that he'll get the potion before they hurried to their horses.

"We need to hurry, that cult in the hills could be almost a day's ride and we still need to help the refugees." Taniel worried while he secured his packs onto his horse again.

"Then why don't we split up?" Solas suggested. "It would be faster for two people to ride alone than it would be for five."

"In that case," Dorian put in as he slung himself onto his horse, "I should go to the cult in the hills, since I am familiar with these lands, I could get us there in less than 10 hours."

Taniel hesitated for a second before nodding. "Then Dorian and I will fo to the hills. Bull, Solas and Avery, can you gather the resources to help the refugees?"

"Gotcha, Boss," Bull said with a grin and Avery and Dorian gave a mock salute.

Taniel rolled his eyes and slung himself onto his horse. He gave one last worried look at Avery before he and Dorian set off.

****

They made it there in just under nine hours, having only stopped once to pee and quickly eat something, and the sun was already beginning to drop behind the mountains.

Needless to say, Dorian wasn't exactly happy when they were stopped at the front gates.

"O for the _love_ of- would you just open the damn gate, we are kind of in a hurry." Taniel gave him a look to say that he shouldn't be so rude, but he couldn't deny that he himself was feeling irritated.

"If you truly have control over the rifts," the woman was saying, "prove it, and seal the rift inside."

Taniel could feel Dorian's disbelief and could feel that he was about to argue, so he quickly stepped in saying, "with all due respect, we are in quite a hurry, so I would really appreciate it if I could come seal the rift at a later date and-"

"Hah, so you admit that you do not have the power to control the rifts. I will not let an impostor into our home."

The crackle of static and the smell of ozone behind him told Taniel that Dorian was a second away from losing it, so he did the only thing he could to stop it.

"Fine, I'll do it, can we stop wasting time here?"

The lady looked sceptical but soon plastered a smug grin on her face and stepped aside. "Be my guest."

Taniel half ran his way down the path towards Hyndel, Dorian walking behind him. "What were you thinking? The two of us alone do not have the power to fight off all those demons!"

"We needed to get to Hyndel, I had no other choice, I can't let that man's wife die." Taniel started walking faster and faster, panic building up inside him, and Dorian stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Calm down, you're hyperventilating," Dorian said with a small smile. "It's fine, we'll figure it out. _Lest_ you forget I am the all powerful magister from Tevinter."

"Maker forbid," Taniel said, eyes wide with fake shock. They made their way up to Hyndel, where Taniel probably set a new record for how quickly he explained a situation and Dorian had half a mind to tell Hyndel to get his shit together and _go home_.

 _Later_ , he promised himself. He could do that later. For now, they had a fade rift to seal.

****

As darkness fell, Avery and Solas started to set up camp for the night. Bull had decided a few hours ago that he could handel the mercenary caches himself, and had set off on his large horse, leaving Avery and Solas to hunt the rams.

By the time they had to stop for the night, they had killed at least 12, all of who were laying on a pile near the fire. They would take them to the hunter tomorrow and help him to clean the meat and use the pelts to make blankets and warm cloaks.

Yet after a long day of running after rams, Avery was still awake and on edge, so she sat cross legged by their makeshift fire and cleaned her new staff. She smiled at the memory of waking up to it next to her bed, her sleep addled brain's only comment that it looked like a sickle on a stick. She laughed at the thought: _it's a stickle._ Later, of course, Taniel informed her that it was an acolyte fire staff, made specially for her by Harrit.

Along with it, she had also gotten a new set of armor (helpfully picked out by the mage Vivian, who had said that 'there are already enough people dressed like hobos, I refuse for you to join their ranks'), and the soft druffallo leather of the apprentice coat worked wonders against the chilly night air.

Out of curiosity, Avery turned her head to see Solas sitting close by, his brow furrowed as he read the open book in his lap.

"Good book?" She asked, standing up to stretch. He looked up from the book and his eyes tracked her movements as she moved closer to him.

"Terrible! One of the refugees gave it to me earlier in thanks when she heard we came from Haven."

Avery laughed as she sat down next to him and leaned closer to read the title of the book, "'The Ptarmigan: An Avvar Tale, from _Ferelden: Folklore and History, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar_ ," she read aloud with a giggle.

"Also known as The Tale of the Frostbacks, hence why she thought I would like it," he shook his head.

"If you hate it so much, why are you still reading it?"

"The refugee was a little girl. I do not wish to discourage her if we run into her again. Besides, it might be a good idea to get an insight into the folklore of the refugees we are trying to help. Even if it is completely wrong."

Avery laughed. "And how would you know that it is completely wrong? For all you know, this book could be one hundred percent true!"

"I know it is false, because I have seen the creation of the Frostbacks for myself." He stated and Avery searched for a hint of a joke on his face, but found none.

"What do you mean you were there? No offence, but I don't think you could be _that_ old."

Solas chuckled and shook his head. "Luckily, you are correct. I was not there myself, per se, but I have travelled the fade for many years in dreams of the places where I sleep, including Haven and by extension, the Frostbacks."

Avery sat bolt upright and turned around to face Solas directly, her back being heated by the fire. "You have travelled the fade? Can you tell me more?"

Solas gave a small smirk. "What would you like to know?"

****

"What happened to you two?!"

It was nearing midday when Taniel and Dorian finally reached the Crossroads, clothes torn and covered in dirt and dried blood.

Avery dropped the knife she was using to clear the hide from a ram and went to stabalize Taniel who looked like he was about to pass out.

"You should see the other guy," Taniel tried with a small smile and Dorian laughed, clutching at his ribs with drawn eyebrows. "We're fine," he assured her when Avery gave him a flat look. "I'll explain everything, but first I need to get the medicine to Hyndel's father."

" _I_ can handle that, boss," Bull said, snatching the vial from his hand. "The last thing we need is the Herald passing out in the middle of town."

Taniel stared helplessly after Bull, mouth still open to protest, as he half-jogged the path to the old mans house.

"Come, you two need to sit down, or better, take a nap. You can tell me what happened on the way to camp," Avery told them. She stopped by the hunter quickly to inform him that they would be back to help soon and then led them towards the horses.

"The leader of the cult," Taniel started once they set off, "wouldn't let us in unless we proved ourselves worthy by closing a rift in their stronghold."

"The two of you alone? Have you gone insane?" Solas asked, eyebrows high on his forehead.

"We didn't really have a choice," Dorian defended. "Besides, most of the fight was fine until the despair demon showed up. And while we were focussed on him, a greater terror decided to pop up beneath us, hence the torn clothing."

"You're lucky you got out of there alive," Avery scolded. "But I assume that you went your entire trip without sleep or even food."

"I'll admit, it wasn't our first priority," Dorian said, looking sheepish. "Though we both passed out for a little while after the battle while the health potions kicked in, if that helps."

"And we convinced Hyndel to return home to take care of his family afterwards," Taniel added. "So... that's good."

Avery tried her best to look unimpressed, but she couldn't stop the smile tugging at her lips. Everything worked out in the end and that was all that mattered.

****

Once at the camp, Avery tracked down two pairs of sleep clothing and gave it, along with a loaf of bread and an order to _eat_ , before heading back to the Crossroads with Solas.

Taniel and Dorian were directed to one of the tents, which they gratefully accepted, already munching on their bread. When there was nothing but crumbs left, Dorian stretched, wincing, and started to take off his armor. Taniel quickly excused himself to go fetch some water.

When he returned, Dorian was already seated on one of the sleeping rolls, dressed in the new clothing. It was the least flashy thing Taniel had ever seen him wear, which seemed to mortify Dorian to no end. Still, he had a grace about him which made even the simple clothes, thin for the heat of the Hinterlands, look elegant.

Taniel handed the rest of the water in the cup to Dorian and started to undress himself, the tips of his ears bright red. When he turned back around, Dorian quickly looked away, choking a bit on his water and Taniel felt a small laugh crawl up his throat. He gave a small shake of his head and closed the flap of the door, blocking out most of the daylight and throwing them into darkness, before crawling into his own sleeping role.

There was a brief moment of silence before, "Dorian?" He let out a low hum in the darkness which made Taniel's heart race a bit. "I just wanted to thank you for today. For coming with me, I mean."

Dorian gave a small, tired laugh, and Taniel could tell that he was fighting to stay awake. "Of course. It's not every day we get the chance to almost die. Well, it is, but not in such an entertaining way, at least."

Taniel chuckled and thought of a way to respond, but a few seconds later, the sound of Dorian's soft snores filled the small tent. Taniel just rolled his eyes and turned on his side, and not even the sound of the distant fighting could keep him from the clutches of sleep.

***

It was already dark when Dorian woke to an empty tent. He let out a groan, considered turning around and going back to sleep, before finally getting up and going outside.

The air had cooled down from the sweltering heat of midday, but the air was still warm, like a blanket draped over their skin. Taniel was standing hunched over the requisitions table, his satchel open beside him with its content spilling out.

"The others not back yet?" He asked as he came to stand by Taniel's shoulder to see what he was doing. The elf jumped a bit before turning around with a smile.

"They came back about an hour ago, but left again to find some food for the night. Avery had claimed that they have worked hard enough and they deserved better than our normal rations."

Dorian chuckled and watched as Taniel leaned back against the table. "Good, I'm starving. I don't understand how these poor people can survive on rations day in, day out."

"Well, I doubt they have much of a choice. But, I do have an apple left, if you're desperate enough, since we have no idea of telling how long it will take them to get back."

"You're not hungry?" Dorian asked confused. Though the health potions worked quickly, they needed a lot of energy to function, meaning that they had to eat and sleep a lot afterwards depending on how much they took.

Taniel shook his head with a smile. "I'll survive," he said, passing the apple to Dorian who caught it easily, although slower than he would usually. "I'll need to get new food before we head back to Haven, though, I gave the rest of mine to the refugees."

"I remember, when Avery and I were returning from the healer's hut. You should be careful, some might abuse that kindness." Dorian said before biting into his apple.

"'Some'?" He asked with a smirk. "Should I be worried, Dorian?"

"Of me? Never," Dorian smiled, looking horrified that he would even be a suspect. "Though I must admit, it is tempting sometimes."

Taniel just laughed and shook his head. Dorian took another small bite from the apple before offering the half that was left to Taniel. When he was met with raised eyebrows, he responded, "Can't exactly have the Herald starving, can we? Avery, for one, would kill me."

"Why exactly would I have the need kill you?"

Dorian turned around to see Avery with her hands on her hips, Bull with an august ram in each arm and Solas with a small basket of vegetables.

"We were stopped by one of the villagers who insisted we take some food as thanks for helping the refugees." He explained as he set them down on the requisitions table.

"So," Avery started, already grabbing the knife at her waist, "I'll clean the ram, Creators knows I have enough practice, and Taniel can cook the rest."

"Wait just a second, Boss can cook?" Bull asked with a smirk, eyebrows raised, and Taniel laughed a bit, thankful for the darkness.

"I'm not exactly an expert, but I've had some practice," he conceded, taking up one of his own knives to cut the vegetables. "Do we have a pot for a stew?"

"Already sorted," Avery bragged as she started on the ram. "I asked one of the guards to go borrow one, though we have to share the food with her in return."

"That won't be a problem," Taniel assured her, chopping the carrots into small pieces, Dorian helping to clear space on the table. "Judging by the amount of food we have, we might even have enough left to share with the rest of the guards."

Solas had taken it upon himself to light up the area a bit better with a fire spell, casting a soft glow over all of them, and Dorian was entranced with the way the shadows played on Taniel's face, in his hair. In the darkness, his brown hair looked almost black, and while the sides were cut shorter, the hair at the top was long enough to fall into his eyes a little bit, only kept in place by the way it curls.

"Do we have any elfroot?" Taniel asked and Dorian fetched the handful he had taken from the healer's garden.

"Oh," Avery exclaimed, excited. "You're making _that_ recipe? I _love_ that recipe. Do you remember how excited Kaius always got when you made it?"

Taniel laughed, sudden enough to catch Dorian off guard. "He would always come running the moment he smelled it, no matter how far away he was or what he was doing."

"And if you hadn't cooked it in a while, he would start begging, throwing himself onto you and refusing to let go until you agreed."

Taniel laughed again, a fond smile on his face, and a small twist in his stomach made Dorian wonder who exactly this Kaius was.

Luckily, not a second later, Bull voiced that thought for him, with a not so subtle, "Sounds like quite the man, Boss," and a wiggling of his eyebrows.

Taniel went red with a stuttered 'What? No!' while Avery just laughed.

"Kaius is one of the small children of the clan, Avery explained, wiping away a stray tear. "His mother is a field medic, so she is away from the clan a lot, always following the fighting. For some reason, he chose us as a replacement and he has been following us ever since. He's like a younger brother to us."

Taniel smiled at that, though the blush was still high on his cheeks, and Dorian felt guilty about the part of him that felt relieved.

There was a small, peaceful silence before Bull started off on a story about Krem when he was younger, even after pointing out that Krem would beat him with a broom if he knew that he was telling them this.

By the time the food was ready, their stomachs were sore from laughing, their throats dry as the Western Approach, and they all devoured their food in silence, too busy enjoying themselves to think about anything else.

Afterwards, Bull proclaimed that Taniel was now their official cook and that he had to make that stew at least once a week. It didnt take that much longer after that before everyone stumbled into their tents, Taniel sharing with Avery this time, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that too cheesy? That felt very cheesy.
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoyed. Any thoughts? Any comment on previous chapters or even ideas for what I can do for future chapters are always welcome. I love reading them, it makes it feel more worth it to continue with writting ;)
> 
> But yeah, stay safe and hopefully I'll be back soon~


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